Putin Defiant, Lashes Out At West, Tells Russians Economy May Stay Weak For Two Years
by Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge.com
12/17/2014
Having started at noon Moscow time (4am Eastern), Putin’s annual Q&A run for a massive three and a half hours, during which the Russian leader took numerous questions from the public and as expected, reiterated the key “rally around the flag” talking points that have permeated Russian rhetoric over the past few weeks as the economic situation in Russia deteriorated. As Bloomberg notes, the conference was attended by hundreds of reporters and carried live on television around the world, the event took on heightened importance this year as the president sought to reassure a Russian public unnerved by the ruble’s plummet. While he did acknowledge the difficult economic reality, Putin sought to reassure his countrymen that the current weakness “would last no longer than two years.” Putin promptly pivoted against the west and accused the U.S. and European Union of trying to undermine his country and blaming external factors for the sharp plunge in the ruble, notably the drop in oil saying that “the economy will naturally adapt to the new conditions of low oil prices.”
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